Our cruise - part 2

Friday 20^th May – Friday 27^th May 2011

We’ve seen Wizzys on Silversea before but this was the first time for us.

We asked for a normal suite, not adapted for Wizzy’s. Having seen the inside of disabled hotel rooms, I don’t like them. I even hate having to use disabled loos whenever we’re out anywhere….

After we had unpacked our suitcases on the first afternoon, we had to attend the compulsory lifeboat drill. On the Whisper and Shadow, they are held in the theatre, on Wind and Cloud, which are smaller ships, they are held in the Panorama Lounge.

When we arrived at the Panorama Lounge, we were instructed to go and take a seat into the Humidor. Inside the room were other passengers who were disabled in one way or another.

The staff then started giving the life board drill to the rest of the passengers seating in the lounge. However, us in the Humidor, we got nothing. This went on about fifteen minutes. I was not happy. It felt like those who had either a Wizzy or a walking stick were being treated like second class citizens, and that should the need arise for us to abandon ship, then we would be just be forgotten about. Silversea would be receiving a letter from the Passenger-from-Hell…..

After checking out the various decks, I noticed that there was not one disabled loo on the ship. They do have disabled suites, but it appears no loos. Not happy about that neither as it meant when I needed the loo I had to go back to our suite. Something else to be added to my letter.

When we went down to dinner on the first night, Georg, the Maitre ’D, stepped out from behind his lectern, held out his hand and said “Hello Mr & Mrs Harper. Lovely to see you again”.

It had been three years since our last cruise so what a memory the crew must have. He noticed Wizzy and was saddened to see me in him. I replied it was one of them things. It’s the usual reply I give to people.

When the Maitre ‘D has allocated you a table, the Waiter would then hold out his arm to the lady and he will escort her to their table. Georg took hold of Wizzy and pushed me to our table. Normally only special guests get escorted to their table by the Maitre ‘D so we felt honoured.

When we go to dine, be it on the ship or in the UK, I prefer to get out of Wizzy and sit in a normal chair. Here on the ship, the staff were so eager to help me get on and off the various chairs I ended up with bruises on my arms !!!!

After we had been seated, Wizzy, and later Stickies, was taken from me and put in the ship’s $300 per person restaurant. No storage cupboard for Wizzy or Stickies….

When we arrived at the port of Cadiz, we decided to venture off the ship for an hour or two. I wasn’t sure I could manage the steps off the ship so the Head of Security rounded up three members of staff and they carried me, sitting in Wizzy, down the steps. The same thing happened when we went back to the ship. Lets just say it was an experience I didn’t fancy doing again !!!!

When we got back to our room on the first night, an invitation was waiting for us. It was from one of the Officers inviting us to dine with him the following evening. It would have been impolite to refuse so we said yes… We had a lovely evening with a

dentist and his wife from Australia (they were hysterical. We dined with them on several other nights as well), and a dealer in commodities and his wife from Stow on the Wold. It must have been a good night because we spent three hours at the table, missed the show in the theatre, and were the last to leave the restaurant.

One evening Georg asked if we would like to have some company that evening. As we’d dined alone the previous night we said we would be delighted.

We were shown to our table and a few minutes later an elderly gentleman called John (he was a regular on Silversea – his father had been a director of a shipping company), Diane, the Spa Manager and Caren, the fitness instructor joined us. On chatting to Caren I asked her if she could give me a little advice on what exercises I could do to help me tone up my spare tire. With not being mobile any excess weight went straight to my middle. Not only is it bad for your health having a spare tire, my clothes were getting uncomfortable and excess middle weight wasn’t good for my IBS.

“Meet me in the Spa tomorrow at six. I finish work then and we’ll have a good chat”, she said.

At six the following day Caren and myself were sitting on the pool deck drinking Pimms and ‘Sex on the Beach’ as we left Mahon. After giving her the abridged version of my medical history, she said, “you’re going to be a challenge. I like challenges….”

A couple of days later Caren joined me in our Suite to give me an hour’ fitness workout.

“You really did put me to the test trying to find you exercises,” she said, “as I’ve never seen a person without a hip before”.

When I was on the floor doing some abs exercises she asked, “do you mind if I have a feel of where your hip should have been”.

“Course not”, I said.

She first put her hands on my right side and felt the hip bone there, then onto the left side.

“I.. I…I find it really weird”, she stuttered, “I’ve never seen anything like it”.

That’s me all round….

About 12 hours after my workout I started to feel the muscles in my stomach aching.

“Excellent. Keep it up”, said Caren, when I told her the next day…

Gradually as the days went along my pains began to ease slightly. I didn’t know if it was the warm weather, just being on holiday, or my new painkillers. Whatever it was I was so happy. I even managed to walk around the ship a little using Stickies. Passengers and crew who had seen me use Wizzy had made lovely encouraging comments when they saw me with Stickies. Even the Captain said so.

On of the loveliest places we visited on the cruise was Mahon. It’s a beautiful island, however it does have one fault, really steep hills. We would love to go back to Mahon for a holiday, however at the present time it’s not Wizzy friendly.

Shame….